NEW GAIA SAGA CAMPAIGN

[Sir Not Appearing on Forum]

Figured I'd make an official announcement, since it would only make sense to do so before next game day comes around.

Before I say ANYTHING, I want to go ahead and mention that I do this for no other reason other than for the sole purpose to getting back into focus. Gaia Saga can be a complicated game, but it was always meant to be fun and to be simplistic, and the last couple of campaign ideas have been anything but those things.

The current game is confusing, both for story reasons and also because the types of characters being used do not trust one another, for various reasons. If the player character's cannot talk to one another about what is going on then the game becomes muddled and confusing; the players might know whats going on out of game, but in game its a different story.

Originally I like the storyline for the current game; it had promise and was different than the others, taking place on a different continent with a different host of enemies and characters to interact with. But I have noticed as of late that players have been for the most part losing interest in the game, their characters, while awesome for solo play, are really not intended for group dynamics; working together towards a common goal for instance. There is a story going on, a diabolic plan that is occurring, an evil sorceress to deal with, but no one knows this because the characters that do know what is going on do not have the desire to inform the others to get everyone else on track. Not only that, but none of them have the personality traits allowing them to really care whats happening either.

I know some of you have some characters invested in this campaign, a few VERY compelling and good ones at that. The issue is that a story is only as good as how the players can get involved in it, and while some of you may be interested, your characters themselves could care less I think.

I want to possibly get back to the basics when it comes to fantasy gaming; old style sword and sorcery, hero vs villain, the good old school fashion of game play where players work together, where everything is told between one another.

Help me make that game?

[Sir Not Appearing on Forum]

holy shit, I've done ALL those things at one point or another!


*evil GM*

LOL

[Sir Not Appearing on Forum]

Well we'll see where this goes. I'm hoping for good things.

Here's the low down for the new game just for recording purposes, in case someone wants to make a character before next game day.

.................................
Campaign name: TBA officially later
Tech Level: Dark Ages (Iron is highest starting material)
Setting: An un-visited continent known as "Regios" (Regi-Os)
Background of Continent: For the most part temperate, with a lot of forested regions and mountain ranges. There is a huge volcano located in the main mountain range which is called "D'No". The volcano is talked about in legends and mythology and it is said when it begins to erupt that the end of the world is near. Besides these landmarks there are many ancient cities scattered around Regios, all of which have a mysterious past and their past owners lost to time.
General History: The people of the continent were once enslaved by powerful sorcerers, who grabbed the people using ancient teleportation magic and portals when they least expected it. The people revolted against their masters and eventually slew them, granting them their freedom but leaving them nearly helpless against the natural denizens of the land, who are powerful beings in their own right. Many of the legendary beasts that gave the people so much trouble are not seen today, but they are still feared throughout the land and spoken of in stories. Now the people of Regios live in the remains of ancient cities, huge megaplexes containing sky bridges and massive towered buildings. They are ruled over by elected officials and are divided into ruling guilds depending on who the current rulers are. Armies do not exist, and defenders of the individual cities are gathered from the strongest warriors, magic users and rogues who are included in the general populace. These people are then sent out on missions between the cities, sent out into the wilderness to look for lost relics and clues to the unknown past. They are also used to battle the other cities, which each have their own ruler and their own sovereignty. Basically each city is its own kingdom, and since the wildlife is so dangerous outside of these cities few normal civilians leave their sanctuaries.

Characters: This is a heroic campaign, so only good aligned characters can be created, although that does not mean all personality traits need to be good ones. You can make "neutral good" or "chaotic good" characters depending on how you want to play them, just realize that the main focus is that you are all playing characters who are willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good of their people and for their friends (basically the other player characters). I will say this; all the players will know one another in game prior to the first session, so there has been time to get to know one another. If you want characters to have secrets that the other players don't know then tell me what those secrets are, but know now that the main focus for the game is to work together with everyone included in the player group and that it will be key to work with each other to succeed.

Races: Races are based on those chosen by the ancient rulers. The six races Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Drakul, Neko and Lupine are available for player characters. All other races are not allowed at character creation but more may become available as time goes by so if you want another character later on they will become available (story related).

Stat Cap: 300 like usual
EXP starting: 40,000 EXP
Jobs: Two jobs with third for 5,000 EXP. High tech level jobs such as musketeers, clockwork engineers, etc. are not allowed.
Combat: Current 3rd Edition (minus firearm rules) this includes new special ability and ally control rules, so for those of you wanting to make commander based characters you can.
Religion: Regios has no knowledge of Celestial Gods, mainly because they have no connection to any other continents and do not realize that they exist. When you choose religions you do not need to choose a Celestial, you can still, however, choose three Demi-gods who the character considers their patron deities.
Magic: Mages are out, specialized magic users are in. White Magic and Shadow Magic are cut since they are closely related to Avodent and Marr and so no knowledge of their use is known to the people. Spirit magic and nature based magic are the most widely used spell types since the people tend to lean towards deities who are bound to the land and to spirits. So basically, you'll be dealing with a more ritualistic way of healing and raising from the dead, processes that will take longer to succeed since it will take more time (makes for more interesting resurrection and healing times for storyline purposes, making things possibly more dramatic).

[Sir Not Appearing on Forum]

AWESOME character concept Jason!

I'm gonna make some sheets for all the NPCs for this one, and I plan on having an interesting way of keeping track of upgrades and so on for them (old school idea used in a very old campaign).

SO YAY!

Also, expect call from me VERY soon.

[Sir Not Appearing on Forum]

Been working on some NPC ideas for the game. Figured I'd post them here since the players will already know the NPCs before first session.

Bannagran, the King of Jade
Nickname: The Pendulum of Jade
Race: Silverclaw Drakul/Sea Elf
HT/WT: 8'6"/450 lbs.
Physical Description: Light blue-green skin, golden eyes, braided silver hair (dreadlocks), VERY muscular, large tattoo of a huge tower with the sun rising behind it on upper back (religious purposes), tribal flame tattoos on forearms and ankles (religious purposes)
Jobs: Tank/Martial Artist/Mercenary
Religion: The Immortal City of Jade (Jadism movement, worships the city he rules over), Corona the Hearth Mistress (Drakulian Demi-Goddess of fire)
Simple Background: When he was younger, Bannagran was a member of a small gang of toughs. Having proven himself as a powerful warrior in his later years, he became a sell-sword between the cities of Jade and Opal and was later rewarded for his skills by being chosen by the King of Jade to serve as an official member of his most elite team of heroes. Having slain "Gixx", a strange beast from aeons past, Bannagran gained approval from the citizens of Jade and was elected as the most recent and current King of the huge city.

..............................................
Amada K'Rinn
Nickname: The Voice of Beasts
Race: Wood Elf/Rangar Neko
HT/WT: 5'0"/89 lbs.
Physical Description: Very short for her race and age, short orange hair (bell shaped with shells and other small trinkets attached to her bangs), curvaceous (large hips), pierced ears and nose, Tiger-like fur, bright green eyes
Jobs: Scout/Adventurer
Religion: Curr the Huntress (Large cat-Goddess), Miral the Vision of the Stars (The Night Sky), Taphri the Spitting Earth (Plant God)
Simple Background: Amada was raised by her parents to be a trainer of animals, both naturally domestic and exotic. While it was a humble living, Amada had adventure in heart and wanted to explore and see the world. She joined the militia of the City of Jade and came into contact with a lot of people, and made many friends (The player characters). After a while she had proven herself to be a very skilled scout and identifier of animals and plant life, and was chosen to be a part of one of Jades teams of heroes. She is quite devoted to her Gods and looks towards them for guidance on a constant basis. Her love for animals often times causes a bit of trouble, especially in hostile situations outside of Jade and in the wilderness for she would rather capture an animal alive then be forced to kill it.

[Sir Not Appearing on Forum]

RUNDOWN OF FIRST GAME SESSION

Session Title: Armadons and Annoyances
Summary: The heroes are sent out to retrieve a pack of Armadons for construction purposes, and after dealing with a crazy old shaman who was looking for a bowl in a cave they found the animals they were looking for and returned to Jade to receive their rewards.

After a brief break one of the heroes wanders over to the northern-most guard tower and discovers that the garrison there is nowhere to be found. It is later revealed that the garrison had left the city that night in the company of a strange elven man who appears to be quite wealthy. After an investigation of the tower some gold dust is discovered and the heroes are gathered together to go north in search of the missing guards.

After traveling for two days the heroes stumble across some ruins, an ancient subterranean place surrounded by large statues of bizarre gods. One member of the group, versed in the ancient tongue, reads inscriptions on the statues and reveals a bit of a puzzle within the text.

The session ended when the heroes moved down into the entrance to the underground ruins, following the tracks of a hundred possible individuals who had recently gone down there as well.

LOWDOWN OF SESSION:
The session started off quite slowly, as the initial adventure the heroes were sent on was a sort of testing stage to see how the group dynamic worked with the characters that were created. Over all I was impressed with how everyone worked together (for the most part). The main idea for the campaign was to work together to accomplish goals, something that i think will continue onwards as the game continues.

I look forward to the next session, as I hope the rest of you involved in it are as well. ;D